RSS 1.0Clinical Inquiries, 2012
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Do venlafaxine and gabapentin control hot flashes in women with a history of breast cancer?
(Family Physicians Inquiries Network, 2012)Venlafaxine reduces hot flashes more than placebo in women with a history of breast cancer; adverse effects include dry mouth and constipation (strength of recommendation [SOR]: B, randomized clinical trials [RCTs] with ... -
Do any topical agents help prevent or reduce stretch marks?
(Family Physicians Inquiries Network, 2012)No topical agent has been proven to prevent or reduce stretch marks. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) show that cocoa butter doesn't prevent stretch marks (strength of recommendation [SOR]: A, 2 RCTs); neither does olive ... -
Cardiovascular risks of combined oral contraceptive use
(Family Physicians Inquiries Network, 2012)Because of an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, the use of combined oral contraceptives (OCs) should be considered carefully in women who smoke and in those with hypertension or hyperlipidemia. (Strength of ... -
Which treatments relieve painful muscle spasms from a black widow spider bite?
(Family Physicians Inquiries Network, 2012)Opioids relieve pain and benzodiazepines ease muscle spasms in most patients with latrodectism--widespread, sustained spasms--resulting from envenomation by a black widow spider (strength of recommendation [SOR]: C, case ... -
What medications are best for diabetic neuropathic pain?
(Family Physicians Inquiries Network, 2012)Tricyclic antidepressants, duloxetine, pregabalin, oxycodone, and tramadol are all effective for the symptomatic treatment of painful diabetic neuropathy (strength of recommendation [SOR]: A, systematic reviews of randomized ... -
Infectious etiologies of acute otitis media
(Family Physicians Inquiries Network, 2012)There is no preferred method for establishing the infectious etiology of acute otitis media (AOM). Bacterial or viral pathogens are found in most cases. Bacterial pathogens are more common than viruses in middle ear fluid ... -
What are the benfits and risks of IUDs in adolescents?
(Family Physicians Inquiries Network, 2012)Little available evidence specifically addresses the benefits and risks of intrauterine devices (IUDs) in adolescents. Most studies have evaluated IUD use in nulliparous adults. Levonorgestrel IUDs cause less menstrual ... -
What treatments relieve painful heel cracks?
(Family Physicians Inquiries Network, 2012)Emollient cream may alleviate pain and dryness and improve the appearance of heel cracks (strength of recommendation [SOR]: B, one small randomized trial). Foot soaks followed by mechanical debridement and topical petrolatum ... -
Evaluation of elevated serum transaminase levels
(Family Physicians Inquiries Network, 2012)The evaluation of patients with elevated transaminase levels should be individualized based on the presence of symptoms or physical examination findings that suggest serious disease or hepatic decompensation. (Strength of ... -
Can calcium supplements cause serious adverse effects in healthy people?
(Family Physicians Inquiries Network, 2012)Calcium supplements with or without vitamin D increase the risk of myocardial infarction (MI), with numbers needed to harm (NNH) over 5 years of 69 to 240 (strength of recommendation [SOR]: B, meta-analyses of randomized ... -
DEXA screening: are we doing too much?
(Family Physicians Inquiries Network, 2012)Reconsider the intervals at which you recommend rescreening for osteoporosis; for postmenopausal women with a baseline of normal bone mineral density (BMD) or mild osteopenia, a 15-year interval is probably sufficient. ... -
Evaluation of asymptomatic atrial fibrillation
(Family Physicians Inquiries Network, 2012)In hemodynamically stable patients without acute chest pain, the evaluation and treatment of atrial fibrillation should not change based on symptoms alone. (Strength of Recommendation: A, based on multiple cohort studies.) ... -
Do antibiotics improve outcomes for patients hospitalized with COPD exacerbations?
(Family Physicians Inquiries Network, 2012)Antibiotic use reduced mortality and treatment failure in patients hospitalized with acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (strength of recommendation [SOR]: A, systematic reviews of randomized ... -
Does blood pressure screening benefit children?
(Family Physicians Inquiries Network, 2012)Screening may not show benefits in childhood but could pay off for adults. Although major professional organizations recommend measuring blood pressure (BP) at every clinic visit for all children older than 3 years (strength ... -
Does anal cancer screening reduce morbidity and mortality in men who have sex with men?
(Family Physicians Inquiries Network, 2012)It's unclear whether anal cancer screening benefits men who have sex with men because high-quality studies on this subject are lacking. In the absence of high-quality data, anal pap smears aren't recommended for routine ... -
Intranasal steroids vs antihistamines: which is better for seasonal allergies and conjunctivitis?
(Family Physicians Inquiries Network, 2012)Intranasal steroids provide better relief for adult sufferers, according to nonstandardized, nonclinically validated scales. Steroids reduce subjective total nasal symptom scores (TNSS)--representing sneezing, itching, ... -
Treatment of motion sickness
(Family Physicians Inquiries Network, 2012)Scopolamine should be used to reduce nausea associated with motion sickness, but it does not reduce vomiting. (Strength of Recommendation [SOR]: A, based on multiple randomized controlled trials [RCTs].) Firstgeneration ... -
Multivitamins for healthy children: what are the true benefits?
(Family Physicians Inquiries Network, 2012)It's doubtful that multivitamin with mineral (MVM) supplementation improves IQ in healthy, low-risk children (strength of recommendation [SOR]: B, conflicting randomized clinical trials [RCTs]). However, MVM supplementation ... -
Do inhaled steroids reduce bone mineral density and increase fracture risk?
(Family Physicians Inquiries Network, 2012)Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) at low to medium doses (<1500 mcg beclomethasone hydrofluoroalkane per day) for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) don't increase the risk of significant bone loss or ... -
Evaluation of hip pain in older adults
(Family Physicians Inquiries Network, 2012)The evaluation of hip pain in patients 65 years and older should include a history and physical examination, followed by pertinent imaging studies. (Strength of Recommendation [SOR]: C, based on expert opinion.) Patients ...